They're moving principals again in Hillsborough County, but it's for a good cause.

Three principal coaches will be named at Tuesday afternoon's school board meeting, to serve as trainers under the grant-funded Principal Pipeline. More will be named at the following board meeting.

Principal Pipeline, supported by the Wallace Foundation in New York to the tune of $75-million, is a bit like the Gates-funded Empowering Effective Teachers, which mentors and evaluates teachers. In fact, the Wallace Foundation deliberately chose six school districts that already are involved in Gates programs.

The principal coaches will be paid from yet another money source: Race To The Top, a federal program that rewards states for raising educational standards.

Yes, it hurts to lose a great principal.

But it's not like losing a great classroom teacher, said Lewis Brinson, the district's assistant superintendent for administration. What's more, he assured us, the coaches will work side-by-side with the new principals as long as it takes to learn the job.

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.